Saturday, May 21, 2016

Ya'alon drops a bombshell in Israel's political scene

Boogie Ya'alon is a great military leader and a valuable national leader. His sudden resignation from the Knesset is a tremendous loss to the nation.He counsels the nation's leaders to "...navigate using a compass, not a weather vane..." While this emphasises Boogie's very admirable sense of ethics, conviction and determination in his mission, despite populist and external forces, it's advice that suits a military general, but not a political leader. A military leader must pursue his objective, despite all obstacles. His political masters, however, must be more circumspect. The leader of a nation, or captain of a ship, needs BOTH a compass and a weather vane. He must keep sight of both his destination AND of the surrounding storms, if he is to avoid foundering on the rocks. Bibi did what was necessary to widen the coalition and enable stable government.Furthermore, Boogie's encouragement of IDF officers making political statements is a grave and intolerable error. In a democracy, the military is subordinate to the elected government. Only in dictatorships is politics publicly debated by officers in command of military forces. At this time, when the nation is under existential threat from enemies near and far, and from misguided friends who would undermine us, the government needs unity and loyalty. Boogie could, and should have stayed on as Foreign Minister.

Defense minister Moshe Ya'alon announces resignation over "loss of faith" in PM Netanyahu, declares he plans to vie for leadership role in future • Resignation to take effect next week

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon announces his resignation, Friday

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Photo credit: AFP

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon announces his resignation, Friday

Photo credit: AFP

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon stunned the political arena Friday by announcing his resignation on social media. In a statement he made later, Ya'alon stressed he was not exiting politics entirely and that he plans to vie for leadership roles in the future.

"I have informed the prime minister that following his conduct during recent developments I have lost faith in him. I will resign from the Knesset and take a timeout from politics," read the dramatic announcement, posted on Twitter and Facebook.

According to the Knesset's bylaws, Ya'alon's resignation will take effect in 48 hours. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will act as defense minister pending the nomination of Ya'alon's replacement, who most likely will be Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman.

Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick, no. 33 on the Likud list, is slated to replace Ya'alon in the Knesset.

Ya'alon's resignation followed several weeks during which he and Netanyahu locked hornsover several high-profile issues. A source close to the outgoing defense minister said the reports that Netanyahu planned to replace him with Lieberman proved the last straw.

Netanyahu reportedly spoke with Ya'alon Thursday and told him no final decision had been made. A senior Likud official said Netanyahu intended to appoint Ya'alon foreign minister, but would not announce this publicly until his negotiations with Lieberman were concluded. Ya'alon's associates said he was not offered the foreign affairs portfolio.

In a press conference held Friday, Ya'alon explained his decision to leave, saying,"I have informed the prime minister of my resignation from the government and the Knesset and that I'm taking a timeout from politics. I have no intention of quitting political or public life. I will return and I plan to vie for a position of leadership in the future.

"I have seen every one of my roles as a calling and I have never been willing to sacrifice Israel's security for political gain. I have worked harmoniously with the prime minister for a long time, especially during Operation Protective Edge, but unfortunately I found myself having serious disagreements with the prime minister and several ministers and MKs, on fundamental issues," he said.

"I fought with all my might against the phenomena of extremism, violence, and racism that threaten Israeli society's resilience, and have permeated even the military, to the point of undermining it. Overall, Israeli society is a healthy one, and the sane majority strives to maintain a Jewish, democratic, liberal state, accepting of everyone regardless of religion, race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. But unfortunately, both Israel and Likud have been taken over by dangerous extremists, undercutting our home and threatening those in it. This is not the Likud party I joined, and the vast majority of Likud voters -- the sane and responsible public -- would be wise to understand the depths of the crisis and the violent spirit that has overtaken the movement.

"Unfortunately, prominent politicians have chosen to turn the various sectors in society against each other, rather than promote unity. I find it unbearable that we have become divided over cynicism and the lust for power, and I have said as much out of genuine concern for the future of Israeli society. The role of leadership is to lead in a moral and ethical way, even if it defies the way the wind is blowing; to chart the course, not get carried away by public opinion polls; and to denounce reckless and irresponsible discourse," Ya'alon said.

"All throughout, even during the most difficult times, I navigated Israel's defense and security with determination, responsibility, discretion, and reverence, understanding lives are at stake. Despite the turmoil in the Middle East, Israel today enjoys relative peace along its borders, unprecedented military power that generates deterrence among our enemies, and it has shared interests with our neighbors in the region. This is the result of the defense establishment's prudent policies.

"I do not regret my professional stance or my ethics, even if it seems they ended my term as defense minister. I am at peace with the path I have chosen to take and I will not deviate from it. I fear for Israel's future and I will continue to fight for it, because this is the only country we have."

Ya'alon did not take questions from reporters following his statement.

Speaking Thursday at a Defense Ministry conference for Israel's youth movements, Ya'alon criticized the Likud-Yisrael Beytenu negotiations, saying, "I can't say I was surprised at the fact that public servants express themselves on fundamental issues, which to me are matters to take for granted, in a way that might want to placate certain voices in society, but lack a moral compass on fundamental questions.

"It may seem that you're paying a price for it in the short term, that it's unpopular or not populist, that there are polls that say one thing or another, this is what I believe. You can navigate using a moral compass. It speaks to the question of leadership. What is leadership? Following the worship of the golden calf? There are plenty of cases throughout history of that happening. If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to navigate using a compass, not a weather vane."

Political arena stunned by defense minister's decision to step down • Justice Minister Shaked: Ya'alon belongs in the cabinet • Interior Minister Deri urges Yaalon to reconsider move • Social Equality Minister Gamliel: This could have been avoided.

Israel's political arena on Friday was reeling at the news of Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's dramatic resignation, with MKs from both the Right and the Left lamenting the move.

The decision followed a tumultuous few weeks in which Ya'alon was at loggerheads with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which eventually prompted the defense minister to announce he would be taking a "timeout from politics."

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman is slated to replace Ya'alon as defense minister, while Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick, no. 33 on the Likud list, will replace him in the Knesset.

President Reuven Rivlin said Friday that Ya'alon's resignation was "truly regrettable. This is a loss for us all."

Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel (Likud) told Army Radio, "This is a tremendous loss for Likud. Some very serious mistakes were made in this case. Once you inform the defense minister his term in office has ended he should be offered another post immediately. I think Ya'alon did what he had to do given the blatant disregard he was shown. This is a great shame, especially since all of this could have been avoided."

"This is a loss for Likud and a loss for the State of Israel," Likud MK Sharren Haskel said.

[Rabbi Yehuda] Glick said, "This is very regrettable. Ya'alon is a man of ethics and values and a true asset to Likud and the people of Israel."

Newly appointed Coalition Chairman MK David Bitan was critical of Ya'alon's "rash decision. … Expanding the coalition is a national interest and it requires everyone set aside their personal interests. I sincerely hope Ya'alon will change his mind. He can contribute greatly at the Foreign Ministry."

There are conflicting reports as to whether Ya'alon was offered the foreign affairs portfolio. The outgoing minister's associates insisted Friday no such offer was made, while Likud officials said the high-ranking position was indeed offered to Ya'alon.

Immigrant Absorption Minister Zeev Elkin was also critical, saying, "You don't enter politics to say 'either I'm defense minister or I walk.' This isn't good for Likud. If politicians resign or switch parties over feeling slighted we have a serious problem."

A statement by Habayit Hayehudi said, "Moshe Ya'alon followed his conscience and his decision reinstates honor to Israeli politics. Habayit Hayehudi thanks him for his contribution to the State of Israel. We are sure he will continue his public activities to Israel's benefit."

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said, "Ya'alon belongs in the cabinet. I was sorry to learn of his decision."

Habayit Hayehudi MK Moti Yogev said, "Ya'alon is an honest, professional, and responsible man, who worked tirelessly to bolster Israel's security, as well as the settlement enterprise. I have no doubt Moshe Ya'alon will contribute to the State of Israel in the future."

Habayit Hayehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich called Ya'alon's resignation "a tragedy of his own making. Ya'alon is a valued individual with many credits to his name, but no one is irreplaceable. We [Habayit Hayehudi] are not to blame for his decision."

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri issued a statement saying, "Moshe Ya'alon carried out his duties as defense minister with great success, dedication, and integrity. Ya'alon is an ethical man who has dedicated decades of his life to Israel's security. I urge him to reconsider his decision and stay in the government."...

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